The blow molding of cases has been a proven commercial process for many years. Blow molded carrying cases are often used to compartmentalize power tools with accessories or multi-component instrument kits. These blow molded cases have the advantage of being lighter weight than carrying cases made of other materials, as the blow molded designs are lighter than cases made of metals such as steel, titanium, copper, or wood and other heavy materials.
Along with being relatively lightweight, most blow molded carrying cases are integrally compartmented in their interiors to retain and position assortments of contents. Examples of such contents would be various power tools and tools used for day-to-day operations, such as a wrench set, screwdriver, washer, or nails.
In order to meet consumer demand, blow molded carrying cases are mass produced and the efficient and cost effective production of these items is a goal for manufacturers. Various designs and improvements in these blow molded carrying cases provide for advantages, which can decrease manufacturing cost and increase sales, as the advantages provide for better and more user-friendly designs for consumers.
Typically, prior art designs for blow molded cases involve the production of separate parts of the carrying cases. The parts are fastened together with fastening devices such as screws, nails, adhesives, and other such devices. This leads to the production of blow molded carrying cases that involve a series of steps for producing the individual parts, which then involves the additional steps requiring assembly of the carrying case with fasteners. These types of designs are demonstrated by prior art designs such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,592 to Lai, which involve the production of a blow molded case whereby two sections of a blow molded frame are fastened together via screws.
Some improved designs have been made to reduce or eliminate the need for fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,386 to Weise discloses blow molding a chest whereby the frame parts are integrally molded together. While Weise does not use fasteners for assembly, Weise discloses assembling a frame by having a fixed snapping mechanism that links a barbed portion with a relief portion to hold the frame together.
In addition to fastening a frame of a blow molded carrying case, some prior art designs contain a plurality of separate drawers that are used to store the components of the blow molded carrying cases. These designs, such as Lai, teach the storage of separate components via a plurality of drawers. However, a problem exists whereupon transport of the cases, the drawers may slide open, since there is the lack of a mechanism to prevent the drawers from sliding during transport.
What is desired, therefore, is a blow molded carrying case or chest which is easy and inexpensive to produce relative to known designs, which includes a mechanism to assemble and fasten the frame of the carrying case without requiring fasteners such as screws or adhesives. It is also desirable to provide a carrying case or chest with a mechanism to prevent drawers from sliding out of the frame.